The use of gelatin capsules to deliver a wide variety of agents, such as pharmaceuticals, is well known. The primary sources of gelatin are bovine animals, e.g., cows, and pigs. However, for various aesthetic, religious, and/or health-related reasons, it has become desirable to replace the gelatin in capsules with other materials that are not derived from animal sources.
A method for the preparation of seamless capsules that have a layer of gelled gel-forming polysaccharide as the capsule wall has been described in U.S. Published Patent Application 2005/0106233, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In this method, the capsules are made by a method involving the steps of: (a) preparing an emulsion comprising oil, water, emulsifier, gelling agent, and optional added component; and (b) adding portions of the emulsion to an aqueous gelling solution comprising a gel-forming polysaccharide, thereby encapsulating the portions of the emulsion in a layer of gelled gel-forming polysaccharide, and optionally (c) drying the resulting capsules by removing water. Although this method provides significant advantages for the preparation of non-gelatin-containing seamless capsules, a need exists for an apparatus capable of carrying out this method as a continuous process.